Ok, I did it. I looked up directly into the sun during the eclipse. I could use the excuse that I didn't have glasses. But I would have done it anyway.
Eventually I asked a random stranger if I could borrow his eclipse glasses and he obliged. "Wow! Amazing!!" I immediately shouted. It was a huge difference. I saw the crescent sun! I had no idea the sun was that eclipsed, because it wasn't that dark. Amazing.
The best part of the eclipse was sharing he moment with all the office workers on K street. It felt like a big moment. It was a big moment. Thousands gathered on sidewalks and rooftops across Washington, DC. A vision and feeling of unity so desperately sought in these depressing times of failing politics and declining social cohesion.
Yes, that's really the first thing I thought as I looked up. We need moments like these. Offline, off media, off print, in real life where concepts and ideals yield to passion and experiential community. Is that a thing? Well, it is now.
I liked the eclipse. I liked seeing people exclaim with glee, like I did. They came together to nerd out with completely uninformed theories about astrophysics. And felt a lot better about their day.
